Communication problems with a Spanish dealer have been blamed for an overloading offence that cost a Barrow-in-Furness firm £300 with £448 costs. Steele's Removals of Park Road, admitted overloading a vehicle carrying tiles by 22,000kg (32%) the offence came to light during an inspection off the M6 in Birmingham.
Helen Braden, prosecuting for Vosa, told West Bromwich magistrates that the overload was substantial
and could have put road users at risk: "Overloading could cause erratic steering and braking." Andrew Woolfall, appearing for Steele's, said the overload had been the result of a breakdown in communication between the Spanish dealer and an English driver.
"Most of the load had been pushed to the front of the vehicle to counter sharp braking because the roads had been slippy after rain," Woolfall explained. One of the magistrates remarked that the fine had been reduced from £700 to £300 because of the guilty plea.
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